Whether they know it or not, Utahns who’ve switched to black and white license plates are supporting the new Museum of Utah.
Sen. Lincoln Fillmore introduced a bill in 2018 to bring back the plates because he thought they looked cool. He didn’t expect they would raise $6.4 million in their first two years.
“People were buying illegal black license plates, so I knew there'd be a demand,” he said.
The proceeds from the plates’ fees were earmarked for the Utah Historical Society because the design was inspired by plates issued on and off from the 1920s through the early 1970s.
After overcoming challenges with state laws on reflectivity, the historic black and white plate arrived in mid-2023. Drivers who choose it contribute $25 a year to the society.
As of early December, more than 200,000 plates had been issued, according to Cyntia Burford of the Utah State Tax Commission. Adding in revenue from the roughly 55,000 plates that were renewed this year, the historical society's cut has surpassed $6.4 million.
That’s a lot of money for an organization that receives about $3 million a year from the state’s general fund.
The state also allocated an additional $5.6 million in its 2025 budget to develop the new Museum of Utah, which is expected to open on the Capitol complex in 2026, according to Jennifer Ortiz, director of the Utah Historical Society.
“We've been able to invest additional funds into helping develop our [audiovisual] and digital footprint in that space, in addition to helping expand the potential public programming offerings that we're currently designing now,” she said.
One audiovisual piece, for example, will highlight Utah’s unique celebrations, like the Days of ‘47 parade and the sheep walk in Cedar City.
“There's going to be some wonderful festivals and celebrations highlighted in the galleries that I'm really excited about.”
Overall, the museum will have 17,000 square feet of exhibition space, plus permanent storage of collections and room for photography and digitization. Right now, Ortiz said collections are scattered throughout five locations across the Salt Lake Valley.
“It really is this one-stop shop to not only house our collections but also process collections that are coming through,” she said.
The museum will be free to visit, Ortiz noted, so the revenue from license plates will help with ongoing maintenance as well as programming.
Though she has the black plate herself, she didn’t expect it to take off so quickly. She thinks most people pick it for its simple design, not necessarily to support the historical society. But whether drivers mean to or not, they’re supporting the new Museum of Utah.
“That's been an amazing opportunity for us to build on the work that we're doing,” she said.
Fillmore is glad the timing worked out with the new museum.
“We've got a great story to tell, and I'm excited we're going to have some more money to tell it.”
Utahns can still get the new black and white design, but under a new state law that takes effect in 2025, drivers will only be issued one plate, to go on the back of their vehicle.
Macy Lipkin is a Report for America corps member who reports for KUER in northern Utah.
